Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Book Description:

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil -- a nice if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting  with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice -- in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy -- leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn't logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

My thoughts:
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart: A Novel (Modern Contemporary Fiction) by Beth Pattillo is a story that draws you into the mystery that surrounds Jane Austen and presents the reader with a "what if" scenario. I have to admit some of the ideas presented were definitely different, but I still  found this a very enjoyable read and even liked it even more than her previous book, Jane Austen Ruined My Life. If you enjoy all things Jane Austin, I highly recommend Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart: A Novel.

Sewing Time

My niece had her first birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I was feeling creative and sewed these cute skirts and decorated some little shirts for her. I am hoping to find time to create some skirts for my own girls in the next couple of weeks.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart: A Novel by Beth Pattillo

Whoever he was, he was the handsomest man I'd every seen in my life. He took two steps into the room and surveyed the paltry occupants.  p. 6

And the winner is........

Angie!!!

Congratulations! I will be sending you an email directly. Thanks for everyone who entered.

Book Giveaway - Last Day to Enter!

Last day to enter! Enter here!

Book Review: The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

Book Description:

In 1650s England, a young Puritan maiden is on a mission to save the baby of her newly widowed preacher--whether her assistance is wanted or not. Always ready to help those in need, Elizabeth ignores John's protests of her aid. She's even willing to risk her lone marriage prospect to help the little family. Yet Elizabeth's new role as nanny takes a dangerous turn when John's boldness from the pulpit makes him a target of political and religious leaders. As the preacher's enemies become desperate to silence him, they draw Elizabeth into a deadly web of deception. Finding herself in more danger than she ever bargained for, she's more determined than ever to save the child--and man--she's come to love.

My thoughts:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund off the shelf at my library. I was immediately drawn into the story of John and Elizabeth. As I was reading I kept thinking how this story sounded like John Bunyan, though I didn't know that much about him. Lo and behold, when I reached the end of the book I found out that this story was inspiried by him and written to recognize the woman who stood by his side, Elizabeth Bunyan. The Preacher's Bride was a compelling read and a wonderful piece of historical fiction.



______________________________________

Book Giveaway!

Go here for details and to enter!

A Homeschool Mother's Journal: March 28-April 1, 2011

I was excited to find this meme, thanks to Amy at Hope is the Word. I have been wanting to do something like this for a while and was thrilled when I read about it.

In my life this week...
Thankfully, life took a more normal turn this week. The last two weeks it seemed we had something going on everyday. 


In our homeschool this week...
We are heading into our 2nd week of our last term of school. Destini & Chantry have started some new books, The Adventures of Robin Hood (Puffin Classics), Pagoo, and Joan of Arc. We also finished out read aloud, Five Children and It (Puffin Classics). I'm not sure what we pick out for the next one, but I have the weekend to decide.

Caleb is still reading Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions) and started The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. He also started memorizing "If" by Rudyard Kipling. At first he was very resistant to this (in his very quiet way), but I held his feet to the fire and after he got a couple of stanza memorized he realized it wasn't as hard as he thought!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
We pretty much stayed at home this week, which made life a lot easier.


My favorite thing this week was...
We were able to get our family devotions back on track. We started a new hymn, At Calvary, and a new folk song this week, Clementine. Clementine is a pretty sad song, but it sure brought out the giggles in everyone. Why do folk songs seem to do that?


What's working/not working for us...
I started Mystery of History III with my oldest the past couple of weeks. So far so good--he really likes the map work.


Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
Why do I feel so compelled to follow my schedule?? If I need an unplanned day off why do I get stressed out about messing up my schedule? Once again my perfectionist tendencies are rearing their ugly head--one more thing to take to the Lord in prayer!


A photo, video, link, or quote to share...


See more Homeschool Mother's Journals over at The Homeschool Chick.
____________________________________

Book Giveaway!

Go here for details and to enter!